4 Basic Principles For Pool And Water Safety
By Kathy Alexander, Fri Dec 9th
Supervision Never leave a young child unattended for even a second. Toddlersare naturally curious explorers and a second is all it takes forthem to find trouble that may end in tragedy. According to theConsumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) 75% of submersionvictims were between 1 and 3 years old. Never assume anotheradult is watching your children, you must take fullresponsibility of their safety, particularly around water. Whenyour child goes missing, always check the water first. At socialactivities, designate an adult as the ‘official water watcher’to help keep all the children in attendance safe from harm. Barriers
Obstacles must be put in place to keep toddlers safe aroundpools and water. Little ones learn new skills daily! One daythey may only be able to sit, when the next day they arecrawling and able to get into trouble quickly. It takes lessthan the time spent answering the telephone for a toddler to getthrough an unlocked door, get to the pool, and drown. . It isimperative that a mesh type fence completely surrounds the poolwith a minimum height of 48 inches. This pool safety fenceshould separate your home from the pool and gates should remainlocked when not in use. Take care not to provide climbableobjects near the fence that would allow an adventurous toddlerto climb into the dangerous pool area alone. Door alarms, pool alarms and pool covers can also provideadditional levels of protection, adding obstacles for anexploring toddler to have to get through before reaching thepossible harm of submersion in the water. Swimming safety skills If infants and toddlers are relaxed in the water, they can holdtheir breath and provide parents with a few extra seconds topick them up out of the water. As the children progress past thewater adjustment stage, it is important to teach skills such asjumping in, turning around and swimming back to the side,recovering up for a breath and rolling to the back for a breath.These skills provide additional protection should anunsupervised water entry occur. Infant/Child CPR Have an emergency action plan prepared so that in the event ofan accident
you are able to stay calm and react efficiently andquickly. It is important all parents and caregivers arecertified in Infant/Child CPR and first aid procedures. About the author:Kathy Alexander, Mother of four, Madison (3), Delaney(2),Courtney(2), and Wyatt(4 mos). She and her husband of 11 yearslive in Texas with their children. Protect Children! TeachSafety! 4 Kidz 4 Safety 'N More offers child safety productsincluding photo identification, DNA & fingerprinting kits,books, games and charts at 4kidz4safetyNmore.com! | 
